Skip to Content

Eczema Sufferers: Tips For At Home Remedies

In honor of Eczema Awareness Month, Eucerin hosted an interactive cooking class to give an inside look at the unconventional foods that help prevent baby eczema flare-ups. Attendees cooked a special meal curated by Eucerin alongside a chef and top nutritionist, (Keri Glassman) who shared tips on how to make eczema-friendly meals for ourselves and little ones.

dinner

A few of my children have eczema currently or have had eczema in the past. I was always told by the doctors to moisturize twice daily, especially after a shower or bath not to completely dry off skin must still be wet then moisturize. Whether you have eczema or not your skin should always be moisturized. I am not a fan of dry skin and try to never run out of product at home. Even as a diabetic, it is important that I moisturize my skin daily.

I attended an event in NYC to learn how I can to achieve eczema relief and wanted to share some of the tips here.

At Home Remedies:

Eczema flare-ups have been associated with anxiety and stress. Meditation can help with that. Inhale for a slow count of eight, hold and then exhale for a count of eight. Continue for a total of eight minutes.

Drink black, green or oolong tea to help you relax and relieve eczema symptoms. Try to drink at least two cups each day.

Keri Glassman MS,RD believes that a “nutritious life” reaches beyond a good diet and takes a whole person approach to create an enriching and balanced life.

dinner_2

Eczema-Friendly Foods:

Fruits and vegetables contain the most abundant antioxidants of all foods, so aim to eat five servings every day. You’ll also find antioxidants in nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs and spices.

Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil, have been linked to fighting inflammation, a key component in the cause if eczema. It can also be found in walnuts, hemp seeds, flaxseeds and fortified eggs.

Whole grains are an important part of any diet because they contain the entire grain in its natural state and give us the minerals and vitamins our bodies need. Some whole grain superstars include: barley, amaranth and teff.

Consuming refined carbohydrates, sugars and fried foods contribute to inflammation in the body, often a culprit of eczema flare-ups! Stay away from juice, soda, candy, baked goods, white processed breads and pasta.

Adding supplements, such as probiotics, Vitamin C and bromelain, to your diet my help relieve the symptoms of eczema. Probiotics are the “good” bacteria found in yogurt and kefir and help the body produce white blood cells and antibodies that protect you from allergens. Vitamin C and bromelain (found in pineapple) are natural antihistamines, helping reduce inflammation.

I can proudly say my family hasn’t drank soda in years nor do we bring it into the house. It’s hard to stay away from juice so I make sure it’s 100% juice and no high fructose corn syrup. We only eat 100% whole wheat bread. I have to admit we love pasta but I try and get whole grain pasta. My mother loves kefir. My daughter and I love pineapple. We all love fish. I think we’re doing good in this field.

About The Baby:

Breastfeeding your baby not only provides the vitamins the vitamins and minerals your baby needs, but also offers immune factors (lgA) that reduce potential allergic responses. The lower the allergic response, the less likely your baby will develop eczema.

Develop a good hygiene routine by making sure your baby doesn’t have long fingernails. By having shorter fingernails your baby is less likely to scratch and puncture the skin. It also decreases the likelihood of bacterial infection in the skin.

Weekly baths can help prevent flare-ups. Daily cleanse your baby’s skin and for an extra layer of protection, moisturize with creams within 3 minutes of bathing. Don’t forget the elbows and knees- it’s the itchiest spot for those babies on the move. (Eucerin Baby Cleansing Relief body Wash and Eucerin Baby Eczema Relief products.

Introduce solid foods slowly. Food allergens are one of the biggest contributors to eczema. It is important to make sure your child doesn’t have any. The easiest way to find out if your child has allergies is to introduce new foods one at a time. Spreading out the introduction of foods can help you single out exactly which food is causing a reaction.

I breastfed all of my kids and made sure their fingernails were clipped and covered with little mittens so they did not scratch their skin. Weekly baths were also given but I think it was more like every other day in my house. I never rushed to give my children solid food. I knew to introduce one food at a time to be aware if they were allergic to anything. My oldest son the one I breastfed longer was the one that didn’t get eczema but he got asthma and thankfully grew out of that. I remember a doctor saying if one child has asthma the other is likely to have eczema. I thought that was crazy but it happened.

It’s good to constantly learn things about eczema and your skin because some things I didn’t know, especially about what foods you should eat and what foods to avoid. I always encouraged breastfeeding but didn’t know it can play a part in whether your baby gets eczema or not.

The eczema friendly foods we prepared for dinner were:

  • Entree: Parchment-Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Raita
  • Side: Quinoa Pilaf with Blueberries and Roasted Beets
  • Dessert: Apple-Blackberry Crisp with Coconut-Walnut Topping

Let me just say this food was amazing and easy to prepare.

I’ve made salmon in parchment paper before and highly recommend it because it only takes about 25 minutes to cook. I loved the raita on top of the salmon. It complimented it perfectly. I’m not a fan of beets but when I tasted the quinoa side dish I was very happy. It was delicious and very healthy. The dessert we made was a treat. I would definitely eat it the next morning on top of Greek yogurt. I am a big fan of walnuts and coconuts so that topped it off perfectly.

One of the chefs also showed us how to make Sweet Potato & Apple Baby Food that was made in food processor. Took only 15 minutes better than jar food.
For the recipes check out www.homecookingny.com

unnamed-9

Thank you to Eucerin for inviting me to attend this event and for allowing me to learn more about their eczema line. The Eucerin Eczema Relief line includes body wash, instant therapy cream, body cream and products specifically made for baby. Anyone who suffers understands the need for instant relief. Click here to learn more.

 

Geanine

Thursday 30th of October 2014

The food sounds delicious! I had no idea you could control Eczema flare ups with the food you consume.

Comments are closed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.